Pesticides, Continued: EU Bans Poisons Linked to Bee Colony Collapse Disorder

The European Union has banned so-called neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been linked to the widespread deaths of honey bees.

We wrote about the connection between these dangerous, nicotine-derived poisons and bee colony collapse disorder in a previous post, here.

Details about the EU ban are here, from The Guardian, via @CarlSafina on Twitter. Here’s a key excerpt:

“Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years has been blamed on disease, loss of habitat and, increasingly, the near ubiquitous use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

“A series of high-profile scientific studies has linked neonicotinoids – the world’s most widely used insecticides – to huge losses in the number of queen bees produced and big rises in the numbers of “disappeared” bees – those that fail to return from foraging trips.

“The commission proposed the suspension after the EFSA concluded in January that three neonicotinoids – thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid – posed an unnacceptable risk to bees. The three will be banned from use for two years on flowering crops such as corn, oilseed rape and sunflowers, upon which bees feed.” – Tom Andersen, director of communications and community relations.

April 30: Here is today’s New York Times story on the ban, which is for two years.